February 8, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Concerning the CE Interim Report on the progress of the judicial reform in Romania under CVM and the issues under the remit of the Public Ministry, the Public Information and Press Relations Bureau within the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice is authorized to bring to public knowledge the following:

The Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice has taken note of the Interim Report on Romania released today, February 8, 2012 by the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism and considers it to be an objective presentation of the developments of the Romanian judiciary in the last 6 months.

The Report presents objectively the progress achieved in line with the Commission’s recommendations of July 2011, noting the efforts made by the prosecutors to fulfill the obligations assumed by Romania under the CVM.

Thus, the Report notes the steps taken by the General Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, leading to a significant improvement in the recovery of the proceeds of crime, as well as the efforts to encourage the pursuit of money laundering as a stand-alone offense.

Regarding the fight against corruption, the Report shows the results obtained in the investigation of high-level corruption, noting the increases in the number of indictments and final convictions and pointing out the convincing results obtained by the National Anticorruption Directorate.

The Public Ministry will continue to implement the adopted measures meant to contribute to fulfilling the CVM conditions.